Laurie Hoeltzel, PhDc

Laurie Hoeltzel, PhDc, is a forensic document examiner and handwriting expert who has been named Handwriting Expert Witness of the Year in Florida at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2025. Operating under her own name as a specialist practice, she provides independent examination and expert witness services to attorneys, businesses and individuals who need to establish the authenticity of signatures and documents. The award recognises her standing in a demanding and highly technical corner of the litigation process.

Ms. Hoeltzel brings around two decades of experience in forensic document examination, over the course of which she reports having assisted thousands of clients. Her services include the authentication of documents, the analysis of handwriting, and the detection of signature forgery, applied to materials such as contracts, cheques, wills and court documents. She also offers rapid verbal assessments, typically within a day or two, allowing clients to gauge the strength of a potential examination before committing to a full report.

Handwriting and document examination is a discipline in which methodology and impartiality are paramount. An examiner must compare questioned writing against known samples, identify individual characteristics, and reach conclusions that can withstand scrutiny in court. To support the reliability of her findings, Ms. Hoeltzel notes that her casework is reviewed by nationally recognised expert examiners for accuracy, an additional layer of quality control that reinforces the credibility of her opinions when they are presented as evidence.

Before her forensic career, Ms. Hoeltzel served for eleven years in the United States Air Force, a background that speaks to the discipline and attention to detail that forensic work requires. She combines specialised training in document examination with a collaborative approach to each engagement, working with clients to understand the circumstances behind a disputed document and to chart a practical path toward resolution.

Her practice is offered on a nationwide and international basis, giving attorneys and clients access to her expertise regardless of where a dispute arises. Whether the question concerns a contested will, a suspect contract signature or a potentially altered record, the aim is the same: to provide a clear, objective and defensible assessment of the evidence. Her recognition as Handwriting Expert Witness of the Year in Florida at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2025 reflects the reputation she has built for careful, rigorous and independent forensic document analysis.